Ondine Biomedical (AIM:OBI) shares surged 7.4% to 12.89p after the University of Ottawa Heart Institute recorded a statistically significant fall in surgical site infection rates following the introduction of Steriwave nasal decolonisation.
The clinical evaluation compared a 24-month control period using mupirocin with an eight-month Steriwave pilot and found the addition of the photodisinfection step materially reduced SSIs and improved postoperative recovery, Ondine said; Ondine is a developer of light-activated antimicrobial therapies.
"Achieving a marked reduction in SSIs is a monumental shift that not only saves lives but also reduces the significant strain that surgical complications place on the healthcare system," said Dr Fraser Rubens, Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Ottawa, commenting on the findings.
Ondine said the results are consistent with outcomes reported from other hospitals and have been submitted to an upcoming major international cardiac conference, with a full manuscript being prepared for peer-reviewed publication.
Steriwave is a non-antibiotic, five-minute nasal photodisinfection procedure that applies a photosensitive formulation to the nostrils and activates it with red light to rapidly destroy bacteria, viruses and fungi without promoting antimicrobial resistance.
The company noted Steriwave is CE-marked, approved for nasal decolonisation in Canada, Australia and Mexico among other countries, and holds Qualified Infectious Disease Product and Fast Track designations in the US while undergoing clinical trials.
